Home Health Nursing?

[chicookie, BSN, RN]

ok so i just finished nursing school, got my rn and now i am looking at jobs.

i already have a great job that i want to keep and later on become promoted in, its more of a patient advocate role that can be done with my rn. because of the shortage of money i can't do that just yet.

besides i do want some nursing experience. i am part time and i don't want full time because then i will be working 60 hours a week. so i already talked with people here at this hospital and i know that they don't hire new nurses part time because of the training and they want them to get their hours in.

so my 4th term nursing instructor that i keep in contact with suggested home health nursing. they do hire new rns and that would work better with my schedule especially when i go back to school for my bsn.

but i don't know. my parents don't want me to because of the safety factor but other than that i don't see much of a problem, and since they brought it up, its now a big concern to me.

any info would be much appreciated!

i would especially like to know about work environment, safety, that type of thing. thanks!

[lvan0904]

Hi there. I worked in a hospital for a little over 1 year on a tele floor. The experience was great, but I often feared about pt. safety and the possibility of loosing my license b/c of the high pt load (we'd have a minimum of 6 and many days up to 10 pts!!). I chose to go into Home Health Nursing mainly b/c of those issues and I am very pleased with my decision. The agency that I work for has a wonderful staff who is available for assistance at any time of the day/night (we have a nurse triage that will talk us through any unfamiliar situation/proceedure). I have learned a great deal during the short time (3 months) on the job. I enjoy my work and I feel like I am able to provide safe nursing care. If nothing else, you may consider interviewing w/ some home health agencies and hospitals- do some comaring and after some info gathering, maybe you'll be able to decide what will work best for you. I shadowed a nurse before accepting my position- that may be an option for you too. Regarding personal safety, our agency encourages us to avoid any potentially dangerous situation. Our safety comes first, we are never pressured to enter a home where we feel unsafe. Perhaps you may be able to ask around about various HHA and find out which are reputable ones. Good luck with your decision!